Ralek Gracie to Face Hisaki Kato at Bellator 170 in Los Angeles

Ralek
Gracie has an opponent for his Bellator MMA debut, as the
Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace will square off against Hisaki Kato
in Los Angeles on Jan. 21.

Promotion officials announced the Bellator
170 matchup on Tuesday. The event takes place at the Forum in
Los Angeles and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown
between Tito Ortiz and
Chael
Sonnen. Gracie vs. Kato is set for the main card, which airs on
Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

The 31-year-old Gracie owns a 3-0 record in MMA competition but
hasn’t fought since taking a unanimous decision against Kazushi
Sakuraba at Dream 14 on May 29, 2010. The Metamoris founder
began his MMA tenure with back-to-back first-round submission
victories over Katsuyori
Shibata and Alvavutdin Gadijev.

Kato has won three of his last four fights, including a first-round
TKO stoppage of A.J.
Matthews at Bellator 162 on Oct. 21. The 34-year-old “Japanese
Musketeer” has notably authored highlight-reel knockout wins over
Joe Schillilng both in the Bellator cage and kickboxing ring. Kato
is 7-2 as a professional, with all of his victories coming by KO or
TKO.